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Editor’s note: This is the sixth and final part of the A Better You series, suggesting activities for individuals to get in shape during 2014. This piece on karate and kickboxing was submitted by Nicholas Margerum and the team at Hudson Valley Karate.

Just as fireworks are synonymous with July 4, resolutions are with New Year’s. According to research conducted by the University of Scranton last year, 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Nearly half of those Americans, 47 percent, vow to engage in self-improvement activities that more often than not focus on weight-related issues. However, only 8 percent of these people reach their goals. This sobering statistic begs the question, “Why?” Specifically, why do so many people fail in achieving their objectives? What are the successful individuals doing differently? We not only have the answers to these questions, but also decades of experience to help transform a New Year’s resolution into a success story.

First, keep your goals simple. Unarguably, the average adult juggles a multitude of personal and professional obligations on a daily basis. Rather than set many elaborate, seemingly insurmountable goals at the beginning of the year to compete with your existing responsibilities, set one or two small, attainable goals as you progress throughout the year.

Second, make your goals specific. “I’m going to lose weight this year,” for example, is merely a vague statement. Specificity is crucial to help ensure the successful achievement of your goals. What is your plan? How are you going to lose weight? These are not questions you have to answer alone. Discuss this with your instructor to determine a strategy to achieve your goals.

Third, believe in a successful outcome. Doubt and self-deprecation do not translate to accomplishment. Each of the individual schools under the umbrella of Hudson Valley Professional Martial Arts Centers boasts positive peer groups; people of all ages and abilities train together, encouraging each other through pitfalls and plateaus and celebrating every success, whether large or small.

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Finally, let others in on it. Share your goals with your friends and family; creating a personal sense of accountability will help fortify your resolve to transform into the best possible version of yourself.

Though a veritable plethora of studies exists exploring the physical benefits associated with a moderate to intensive kickboxing or martial arts program — weight loss, strength building, muscle toning, improved balance and coordination, to name a few — the psychological benefits are a bit more obscure.

Unarguably, however, a long-term commitment to martial arts training, for example, leads to increased self-confidence. Indeed, learning self-defense enhances the self-confidence of practitioners by defusing feelings of vulnerability. A self-confident person is more likely to remain calm in a challenging or compromising situation; and in remaining calm, one can assess such a situation more clearly and devise a response appropriate to the circumstances.

Furthermore, most studies that explore the long-term effects of martial arts training agree there is usually an inverse relationship between the amount of time a practitioner has been training and the level of his or her aggression, hostility, and anxiety. In other words, more time devoted to training in martial arts translates to a decrease in these toxic characteristics. And there is a parallel correlation regarding a sense of awareness and self-reliance of practitioners; these are qualities that continue to increase throughout training.